Conceived by the artist as an entire organism, Lighter than Air closely integrates the works on view, formally and structurally, to render a network of relationships as well as illustrate the breadth of his practice. The exhibition’s design is inspired by the ecological theories championed by physicist Fritjof Capra, who argued that “Throughout the living world, we find systems nesting within other systems. And living systems also include communities of organisms. These may be social systems—a family, a school, a village—or ecosystems.”

The centerpiece of the exhibition is the sculpture Girasol (Turning Sun) (2009), that unfolds the interdependencies between the sun, the wind, and technology. A wind turbine located on the terrace (of Walker Art Center) powers a video camera attached to a sunflower, as it records intermittent views of the sky and the flower’s movement as it searches for sunlight. The captured images will be projected inside the gallery. Foregoing the practical and the plausible, Saraceno seeks to harness the power of imagination—his own and the viewer’s—to make a leap together into forms and vehicles that render the impossible possible.

Also on view will be photographs as well as a wall-sized drawing, Air-Port-City (2009), depicting the artist’s vision for an airborne metropolis floating above an earthbound city. Intrigued by the question of national borders, Saraceno has designed an urban setting where residents circumvent geopolitical boundaries, challenging notions of nationhood, land ownership, and borderlines. As the artist has said, “My idea for an Air-Port-City is to create platforms or habitable cells made up of cities that float in the air. These change form and join together like clouds. This freedom of movement is borrowed from the orderly structure of airports, and it allows for the creation of the first international city. . . . Air-Port-City is like a flying airport; you will be able to legally travel across the world . . . . This structure seeks to challenge today’s political, social, cultural, and military restrictions in an attempt to re-establish new concepts of synergy.”

Such a degree of autonomy is palpable in the sculpture Iridescent Planet (2009), created especially for the exhibitions. A balloon anchored to the Walker’s terrace collects its energy from solar panels while depending on the force of the wind for its sustainability. Within this equilibrium, Saraceno strives to formulate systems in which the “cooperation” of individual parts—where one lament is contingent on the other—becomes a model for viewing the earth as a single organism.